A rivalry lives again thanks to Pitino, Brown

Sporting News, The, July 7, 1997 by Dave D'Alessandro

If you were watching closely last week, you witnessed the rebirth of a rivalry--once rooted in the spirit of competition now renewed by a mutual distrust.

It is a conflict almost as old as the NBA itself, dating to Wilt vs. Russell, and escalating through Doc vs. Bird, before dissolving in a two-team race for the 90s abyss. Now the traditionally ruthless Philadelphia-Boston rivalry is being carried on by two coaching giants, both new to their teams and the business of management, and neither willing to give an inch in their interpretation of the facts regarding an aborted trade.

The genesis of this dispute between Larry Brown and Rick Pitino, of course, is L'affaire Dino. When a trade involving the Celtics' Dino Radja and the Sixers' Clarence Weatherspoon and Michael Cage was called off by the Sixers--ostensibly because of the condition of Radja's left knee, but also in part because the Sixers weren't aware of a $2.4 million trade bonus Dino had coming to him--it fouled up Pitino's plan to put his rebuilding scheme on the fast track.

Pitino was understandably incensed, insisting Radja had passed his physicals and--he really said this--that Radja looked great in one-on-one games with assistant coach Winston Bennett.

Brown believed Pitino's claim was a tad disingenuous, and said so. "We make our first trade," he says, "and this guy with the choir eyes"--that's Pitino, whatever that means--"is telling everybody he can't believe how Radja can play tennis with a 45-year-old orthopedic surgeon who can't run up and down." The worst part, Brown implied, is Pitino attempted to hoodwink the Sixers into believing Radja can play at all.

Pitino countered by implying the Sixers twisted the medical facts. "When Dino left us two weeks ago, he looked great," he says. "Then they found something totally different. Where the truth is, I'm not sure on this one."

That's his way of calling Larry a fibber. So Pitino's first thought was to file a grievance. His second thought was to recognize the first thought for the idiocy that it was. The Celtics couldn't win this one, because a deal is not a deal until the principals pass their physicals.

But Pitino waited to retract his request for arbitration just long enough to make Brown sweat over the subsequent Keith Van Horn-to-New Jersey deal, one in which Cage had to be included.

There's more to this, of course. Pitino undoubtedly felt burned that the player he really wanted (Van Horn) was chosen by a team that didn't plan on keeping him.

And if that's not enough intrigue, consider this story that has been circulating: Brown and Pitino met on an LA. golf course in early May, just after Pitino removed himself from consideration in Boston, which effectively made Brown the leading candidate. Larry, being his candid self, told Rick how enticing the job was, relating every detail regarding money and perks. Shortly thereafter, the story goes, Pitino decided to put himself back in the Boston picture.

All's fair, we guess. And it seems these two are prepared to take that management philosophy to the extreme.

Top of the class

Before the free-agent market opened last Tuesday, the 12 highest salaries next season belonged to Shaquille O'Neal ($12.86 million), Horace Grant ($11.76 million) Alonzo Mourning ($11.25 million), Juwan Howard ($11.25 million), Gary Payton ($10.5 million), Larry Johnson ($9.7 million) Dikembe Mutombo ($9.6 million), David Robinson ($9.5 million), Reggie Miller ($9 million), Hakeem Olajuwon ($8.6 million) Derrick Coleman ($8 million) and Penny Hardaway ($7.6 million). Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing undoubtedly were going to vault to the top of the list, and Brian Williams was expected to sneak into this upper tier somewhere.

Divorce proceedings

Muggsy Bogues is steamed. Seems that Hornets coach Dave Cowens said recently that the point guard should retire, that he couldn't imagine anyone in the league trading for him and that he probably couldn't pass a physical anywhere.

"They weren't too concerned last season when they asked me to play on one damn leg," Bogues says, accurately enough. "Now that I'm feeling fine, they're pushing me out the door. As far as I'm concerned, I'm playing next season--in Charlotte or somewhere. First, it was, `He's short,' and then it was my knee. If they don't want me, trade me, because I'll be playing somewhere."

The rest, ear-witnesses say, was unprintable.

Upshot: Bogues has one year left at $1.8 million, and David Falk says he'll try to find another team for him.

Still unkempt

During the TNT draft telecast, Hubie Brown caused a stir in Seattle by stating the Sonics and Shawn Kemp had "resolved the situation." That was news to the Sonics (and probably to Kemp) who will spend the summer trying to persuade their petulant star to stick around.

"From the coaching staff's standpoint, nothing has changed," coach George Karl says. "I don't know what to say about it. To me, it's just a matter of waiting."

Indeed, Karl is still awaiting Refrain Man to return one of his calls. It's unlikely this will be resolved amicably, however. Kemp's teammates think of him as something of an ungrateful clod, though they stuck up for him in April and talked Karl out of suspending him. That saved the money-obsessed Kemp about $100,000. His teammates also feel Kemp betrayed them by not discussing his trade demands before going public with them.